25/06/2026
Westminster has published its conversion practices bill (link in comments) for England and Wales.
We will be looking more carefully at it in the coming days - initial concerns include the lack of mention of suppression of behaviours and relying on definitions for s*xuality now unfit due to SC judgement on "s*x".
The suggested offences also place an onus on the victims, or targeted victims, to prove severe harm or distress which has a serious adverse effect
This is both potentially difficult to prove and makes *attempted* conversion practices and offering such abusive practice almost impossible to persecute.
The carve out for "healthcare" fails our "no exemptions or exceptions" criteria because it leaves an enormous loophole for any conversion practices provider to claim they are practicing healthcare.
This would make the ban potentially completely useless. "The provision will include people working in all public and private, regulated and non-regulated sectors." This exemption exists in the context of the NHS banning trans youth healthcare and conducting an assault on all trans healthcare, conducting conversion practices through forced medical detransition.
Many conversion practice providers brand themselves as "healthcare" to cloak their abuse. This bill may make that strategy the default.
This bill, in its current form, simply is not fit for practice. It is, as far as we can see, so short because it has been rushed out for political reasons and leaves an enormous loophole any conversion practices provider could use.
We hope to see a Scottish bill in the upcoming The Scottish Government Programme for Government. We know the Scottish draft is stronger and more comprehensive than what is being presented in Westminster.
